Franz Xaver Gruber · C major
Silent Night: piano notes for beginners
Silent Night is in C major and runs to 8 bars. Your first piece in three time, and a gentle introduction to a swaying rhythm. There are three levels here: the melody on its own, the melody with one bass note per bar, and both hands together. Every note shows the finger to use, and the music waits for you rather than running ahead.
Three levels
Start at whichever one you can manage
One hand
The melody on its own, right hand only.
Play level 1 → LEVEL 2Melody and bass
One steady left-hand note under each bar.
Play level 2 → LEVEL 3Both hands
The full arrangement, both hands as written.
Play level 3 →Count one two three, one two three throughout. The long notes fall on the first beat of the bar.
The notes
What notes are in Silent Night?
The melody uses 6 different notes: C, D, E, G, A, B. It is written in C major in 3/4 time, and runs to 8 bars.
Every note the melody uses, lit on the keyboard. C major.
Before you start
Common mistakes on Silent Night
- Counting in four out of habit. This one has three beats to the bar.
- Clipping the dotted rhythm in bars one and three. It is long, then very short.
- Playing it loudly. It should be quiet enough to sing over.
The practice room highlights the bars you keep fluffing and offers to loop them, so you do not have to spot these yourself.
Copyright
Why this piece is free
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber, who died in 1863, and words by Joseph Mohr, who died in 1848. Composed in 1818 and out of UK copyright since 1934. The arrangement, the fingering and the notation on this page are our own original work.
See the full public domain policy for every piece on this site.
Keep going
After this piece
A step easier: first piece · C major in 4/4 time Open → 2 Ode to Joy
About the same level: beginner · C major in 4/4 time Open → 3 Für Elise
The next step up: returning player · A minor in 3/8 time Open →
New to reading the dots? The guide to reading music is free, and the five minute walkthrough comes before everything else.